Abstract:Understanding the developmental steps shaping the formation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) connecting motoneurons to skeletal muscle fibers, is critical. Wnt morphogens are key players in the formation of this specialized peripheral synapse. Yet, the individual and collaborative functions of Wnts as well as their downstream pathways remain poorly understood at the NMJ. Here, we demonstrate through Wnt4 and Wnt11 gain of function studies in culture or in mice that Wnts enhance acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering and motor axon outgrowth. In contrast, loss of Wnt11 or Wnt-dependent signaling in vivo decreases AChR clustering and motor nerve terminal branching. Both Wnt4 and Wnt11 stimulate AChR clustering and mRNA downstream activation of the beta-catenin pathway. Strikingly, Wnt4 and Wnt11 co-immunoprecipitate with Vangl2, a core component of the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway, which accumulates at embryonic NMJ. Moreover, mice bearing a Vangl2 loss of function mutation (looptail) exhibit a decreased number of AChR clusters and overgrowth of motor axons bypassing AChR clusters. Taken together, our results provide genetic and biochemical evidences that Wnt4 and Wnt11 cooperatively contribute to mammalian NMJ formation through activation of both the canonical and Vangl2-dependent core PCP pathways.

Abstract:The regulation of larval development by starved adults occurs in both freshwater snails, Helisoma trivolvis and marine polychaetes, Platynereis dumerilii. Serotonin (5-HT) links this environmental signal which is detected by larval apical sensory neurons to changes in larval development. A profile of the stage-dependent expression of 5-HT receptors and coupled G proteins is essential in this regulatory mechanism. The final effect on development depends on the modulation of the activity of the larval digestive system.

Abstract:In the present study, we have used wild-type and palmitoylation-deficient mouse 5-hydroxytryptamine(1A) receptor (5-HT1A) receptors fused to the yellow fluorescent protein- and the cyan fluorescent protein (CFP)-tagged alpha(i3) subunit of heterotrimeric G-protein to study spatiotemporal distribution of the 5-HT1A-mediated signaling in living cells. We also addressed the question on the molecular mechanisms by which receptor palmitoylation may regulate communication between receptors and G(i)-proteins. Our data demonstrate that activation of the 5-HT1A receptor caused a partial release of Galpha(i) protein into the cytoplasm and that this translocation is accompanied by a significant increase of the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. In contrast, acylation-deficient 5-HT1A mutants failed to reproduce both Galpha(i3)-CFP relocation and changes in [Ca(2+)](i) upon agonist stimulation. By using gradient centrifugation and copatching assays, we also demonstrate that a significant fraction of the 5-HT1A receptor resides in membrane rafts, whereas the yield of the palmitoylation-deficient receptor in these membrane microdomains is reduced considerably. Our results suggest that receptor palmitoylation serves as a targeting signal responsible for the retention of the 5-HT1A receptor in membrane rafts. More importantly, the raft localization of the 5-HT1A receptor seems to be involved in receptor-mediated signaling.

Abstract:The mouse 5-hydroxytryptamine4a (5-HT4a) receptor is an unusual member of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily because it possesses two separate carboxyl-terminal palmitoylation sites, which may allow the receptor to adopt different conformations in an agonist-dependent manner (J Biol Chem 277:2534-2546, 2002). By targeted mutation of the proximal (Cys-328/329) or distal (Cys-386) palmitoylation sites, or a combination of both, we generated 5-HT4a receptor variants with distinct functional characteristics. In this study, we showed that upon 5-HT stimulation, the 5-HT4a receptor undergoes rapid (t(1/2) approximately 2 min) and dose-dependent (EC50 approximately 180 nM) phosphorylation on serine residues by a staurosporine-insensitive receptor kinase. Overexpression of GRK2 significantly reduced the receptor-promoted cAMP formation. The Cys328/329-Ser mutant, which is constitutively active in the absence of ligand, exhibited enhanced receptor phosphorylation under both basal and agonist-stimulated conditions and was more effectively desensitized and internalized via a beta-arrestin-2 mediated pathway compared with the wild-type 5-HT4a. In contrast, G protein activation, phosphorylation, desensitization, and internalization of the other palmitoylation-deficient receptor mutants were affected differently. These findings suggest that palmitoylation plays an important role in modulating 5-HT4a receptor functions and that G protein activation, phosphorylation, desensitization, and internalization depend on the different receptor conformations.